Shane Richmond is Head of Technology (Editorial) for Telegraph Media Group. He first joined the Telegraph in 1998 and has been Online News Editor and Communities Editor. He writes about all kinds of technology but especially Apple, iOS, ebooks and ereaders, and digital media.

The Pixies: just a couple of emails can really engage fans

I saw the Pixies play in London a couple of months ago. I've been a fan for 20 years or so but this was the first time I've seen them. They were excellent, in case you're interested, but it's the technology-savvy approach to the gig that I wanted to highlight.

The Pixies at London's Troxy last month.

I first found out that the Pixies were playing in London through a service called Songkick. It uses my Last.fm profile to find out what I listen to and compares that with London concert listings – though it does other cities too. Then it emails me with forthcoming concert dates. There are other services – Bands in Town, for example, that do the same thing.

As soon as I got the email I went to the Pixies' website and bought tickets. The tickets – not a receipt but the tickets themselves – were emailed minutes later in PDF form. I printed them off on the day of the gig and they were scanned at the venue by an iPhone-wielding staff member.

I haven't come across that before. Perhaps there is a risk that a print-it-yourself ticket can be photocopied but I would imagine it's a small risk. It might be riskier to do this with a stadium tour where there is more incentive for people to try to sell fake tickets.

Anyway, a couple of weeks before the show I got an email from the Pixies:

"If you're reading this email, it means we'll see you at TROXY London for two shows in June. We're looking forward to it. What songs do you want us to play? Reply and tell us."

Just before the show they emailed again thanking everyone who sent requests and saying that they had a setlist they thought we would like. Now for all I know, some guy who works for the Pixies might have dealt with all the emails and the band themselves may never have looked at them but it doesn't much matter. The engagement – even if it was an illusion – helped to build my excitement about the gig.

A few weeks after the gig, the band emailed again, this time sending me a link to a download of two songs from the gig I went to. So I now have a very nice souvenir of the show too.

It's great to see a band engaging with their audience before and after shows. The tools they used are hardly complex – though their web operation is powered by Topspin, mostly they just asked for fans' email addresses when they bought tickets and then sending a few emails. Imagine how much further they could take it with Twitter or Facebook or even Foursquare.